Type Barracks In use 1937-2008 Owner Ministry of Defence | Operator British Army Year built 1937 Built for War Office | |
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St Patrick's Barracks was a military installation in Ballymena.
History
The site was requisitioned by the War Office and the barracks were put into use as the depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles, who had relocated from Victoria Barracks, as soon as they opened in 1937. The barracks were used by the United States Army during the Second World War. The barracks reverted to use as depot of the Royal Ulster Rifles after the War and became the regional centre for infantry training as the North Irish Brigade Depôt in 1964. The barracks went on to be the home of the Royal Irish Rangers when it was formed in 1968 and of the Royal Irish Regiment when it was formed in 1992.
Following an improvement in the security situation, the barracks were closed in 2008 and the Imjin River Memorial, which had been located at the barracks, was moved to Belfast City Hall: the memorial commemorates Irish troops lost in the Battle of Chaegunghyon in January 1951 during the Korean War.
The site was given to the Northern Ireland Executive in 2012 and is now being redeveloped for housing. The site remains the home of the Royal Irish Regiment Museum.